2020

The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship will kick start its 25th season this March 7 and 8 at the Sepang International Circuit. Here’s what you can expect from the season opener: 1. THE BIGGEST, BADDEST, FIERCEST AND MOST UNPREDICTABLE RACING This one’s for all you bike lovers as the BMW S1000 RR defends its Asian title against the determined onslaught from the Ducati Panigale V4 R, the Honda CBR1000 RR R Fireblade, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR and of course the Yamaha YZF-R1M. Here are the bikes competing in the weekend so far: ASB1000 – THE BIGGEST The battle ground for the biggest names in Asian motorsports. Watch as defending champion Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman goes toe to toe against rivals like Zaqhwan Zaidi, Broc Parkes, Yuki Ito, Federico Sandi, Markus Reiterberger, Thitipong Warokorn, Apiwath Wongthananon and so much more.   SS600 – THE BADDEST The bad boys of Asian motorsports race here. Ratthapong Wilairot and Ahmad Yudhistira are setting the stage for a showdown in the 600cc class against upcoming young talents like Azroy Hakeem Anuar. Watch out for Muklada Sarapuech, the first female rider to race full season in the 600cc class!     AP250 – THE FIERCEST Fierce competition is a daily affair in the Asia Production 250cc. Expect some phenomenal racing from the 23 riders confirmed on the grid to date.     UB150 – THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE Not even the most seasoned Underbone analyst would dare to bet on the outcome of an Underbone race where close contact racing is de rigueur. Leads change at every corner as the Super Cubs strut their stuff on the tarmac.     2. NO TICKETS; NO PARKING FEES; NO FUSS – FREE GRANDSTAND ACCESS FOR SPECTATORS Catch all the racing action at the Sepang International Circuit without worrying about tickets and parking charges. The gates to the grandstand will be open to the public on March 7 and 8. Simply walk in, and enjoy!     3. SPECIAL PARKING PRIVILEGES FOR BIKES AND CONVOYS It’s a bike fest, so it’s only right that bikers enjoy some special privileges. A segment of the mall area will be cordoned off and converted into a secured motorcycle parking zone. This is where your bike needs to see and be seen!     4. HAPPY BAG CAMPAIGN – STAND A CHANCE TO RIDE HOME WITH A BRAND NEW HONDA RS150 OR YAMAHA Y15 You could be one of two lucky winners to ride home with either a brand new Honda RS150 or a Yamaha Y15. All you have to do, to take part in the lucky draw, is to spend RM50 on a Happy Bag. What’s inside the Happy Bag? A bottle of Idemitsu 10W-40 motorcycle lubricant and a limited edition 25th Anniversary ARRC T-Shirt. The contents of the Happy Bag are worth up to RM100.   5. PITWALK – GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL TO THE COLOURFUL PERSONALITIES IN THE ASIAN PADDOCK The race schedule on Sunday (March 8) will feature an hour-long pitwalk where race fans and the race fraternity can hang out together. Grab your favourite rider for a selfie, pick up team memorabilia and other small momentos, pick up an autograph or two. 6. 12 COUNTRIES; 80 RIDERS; DIVERSE RACE CLASSES; NON-STOP RACING From Underbone to Superbikes, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship has it all. Catch the excitement live and in person at the Sepang International Circuit as the best riders from 12 countries battle it out for the first win of the season.

With only a fortnight to go before the start of the 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing season, here’s a recap of the biggest movers and shakers to date:   CLASS TEAM WHAT’S HAPPENING? UB150 Cardinals Racing Malaysia The team finished 8th on the 2019 Team Standings in its debut season with Rozaiman Said, Fitri Ashraf Razali and Chepy Armansyah. The team has announced a brand new line-up for 2020 and will partner seasoned campaigner Ahmad Fazrul Sham with debutant Iqbal Amri. UB150 4S1M Racing Team The momentum from the Philippines continue following McKinley Kyle Paz’s title winning performance last year. The 4S1M Yamaha Racing Team will be the first Filipino satellite team to compete in hyper competitive UB150. For its debut season, the 4S1M Yamaha Racing Team will combine the talents of John Emerson Inguito with 2014/2015 Underbone champion Gupita Kresna Wardhana. ASB1000 SS600 AP250 UB150 ONEXOX TKKR SAG TEAM Still the largest team line-up in the Asian paddock, the formidable ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team will field 11 riders across the four championship classes. ASB1000 – Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman will again don the green and black livery of the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team for his ASB1000 title defense. Having won the riders award last year, the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team has set its eyes on clinching the team title this season. Towards that end, Azlan is now partnered with Swiss WSBK rider Markus Reiterberger. SS600 – Ramdan Rosli will reprise his role as the team’s lead rider in this class. The Malaysian rider landed 9th on the standings after an inconsistent season in 2019 with one win, two podiums and a number of DNF results. Nazirul Izzat Bahauddin’s career will go up a notch as the team moves him up from the AP250 to SS600. AP250 – The team has retained the services of Indonesian rider Rey Ratukore to spearhead their AP250 campaign. Rey will be joined by Malaysian Muzakkir Mohamed and Syafieq Aiman. UB150 – The partnership between Wahyu Aji Trilaksana and Ahmad Fazli Sham is set to continue. The duo will race alongside Hafiza Rofa and Faiz Zekri. ASB1000 SS600 Yamaha Thailand Racing Team ASB1000 – Apiwat Wongthananon, who finished fourth in the ASB1000 inaugural season, will be taking another shot at the Asian title this season. Anupab Sarmoon returns to the Asian Championship after a season in the CEV Moto2 European Championship and will be racing alongside Apiwat in the ASB1000. Outside of the Asian paddock, the team’s top performers from 2019, Peerapong Boonlert and Keminth Kubo, will be heading West to race in the CEV Moto2 European Championship. SS600 – Ratthapong Wilairot will return to the SS600 class to defend the title for Yamaha Thailand Racing Team. ASB1000 SS600 AP250 Victor Racing Team ASB1000 – Chinese rider Li Zheng Peng had a successful wildcard ride at the Zhuhai Circuit last year when he finished 7th and 10th in Race 1 and Race 2 respectively. Li is back for more as he joins the line-up of elite riders for a full season in the ASB1000. SS600 – Indonesian rider Ahmad Yudhistira believes that he will be more effective in the SS600 class. Yudhis’s return is expected to spice things up in the intermediate category. AP250 – The Victor Racing Team will facilitate the debut of the class’s first entry from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – Leong Nang Tse. UB150 Team One For All Team One For All will maintain the same line up for this season with Mohd Affendi Rosli and Peerapong Luiboonpeng. ASB1000 Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN The strongest ASB1000 pair returns for the 2020 season. Broc Parkes and Yuki Ito combined for a total of 3 wins and 13 podiums in 2019.  Their first target of the season would surely be the Azlan Shah-Markus Reiterberger combo. UB150 Proliner RCB 549 Kaboci Racing Team The Proliner RCB 549 Kaboci Racing Team will form a 3-rider squad in 2020 – comprising of Richard Taroreh, Iswandi Muis and Aldy Taufil. UB150 RCB Yamaha YY Pang Team RCB Yamaha YY Pang goes international with the inclusion of Vietnamese rider To Ha Dong Nghi into the team’s line-up with Mohd Adib Rosley and Mohd Izzat Zaidi. SS600 AP250 Astra Honda Racing Team Still no indication of an ASB1000 debut, the Astra Honda Racing Team continues to focus on rider development in the SS600 and AP250 classes. Irfan Ardiansyah will join Rheza Danica Ahrens in the SS600 class. Lucky Hendriansya will lead the AP250 trio with newcomers Herjun Atna Firdaus and Mohammad Adenanta Putra. SS600 AP250 UB150 Yamaha Racing Indonesia Team Yamaha Racing Indonesia is expanding its presence in the new season of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The team will make its SS600 comeback with Faerozi Toreqottullah. Wahyu Nugroho and Anggi Setiawan will maintain the team’s presence in the AP250. Young maverick Aldi Satya Mahendra will stay in the UB150 for one more season. SS600 Akeno Speed Yamaha Akeno Speed Yamaha is back! Former ARRC rider Makoto Inagaki is set to place two young riders in the SuperSports 600cc class – Soichiro Minamimoto and Yusuke Nakamura. SS600 AP250 AP Honda Racing Thailand AP Honda Racing Thailand made waves when it decided to field Muklada Sarapuech in the SS600 class alongside Passawit Thitivararak. Muklada will be creating history as the first female rider to race full season in the intermediary class. Rookie rider Kantapat Yakantai will fill the vacuum left by Muklada in the AP250 line-up, and join forces with Piyawat Patoomyos. UB150 SND Factory Racing Rapido Wawan Wello is set to return to the UB150 grid with SND Factory Racing Rapido in 2020. The team has also recently signed up Muhammad Hildan Kusuma as their second rider. Hildan competed in the Asia Talent Cup last year and finished 12th overall. ASB1000 Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA Solo no more, Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi gets a team mate this year. Gerry Salim will be racing alongside Zaqhwan in the Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA’s 2020 line-up.

The Maxpeedingrods Chieton China Racing Team is set to make history as the first Chinese team to participate in the full season of the ASB1000, the Superbikes class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. The team announced its entry on Wednesday at their home base in Beijing and will be supported by BMW Motorrad China. For its first full season, the team will feature two strong Chinese riders – Ma Sai who had raced as wildcard in the SuperSports 600cc category last year and seasoned campaigner Huang Shi Zhao. With the exception of the first two opening rounds, Ma Sai raced as a wildcard in the five remaining legs of the 2019 season. His best results in the SS600, came predictably, from the China round where he claimed two top-10 finishes in front of his home crowd. Huang Shi Zhao is no stranger to the Asian series, having competed in the championship several times in the course of his decades-long career. He made a wildcard appearance in the ASB1000 class during the Chinese leg last year where he finished a credible 9th in Race 1 and placed 11th in Race 2. photo : Maxpeedingrods Chieton China Racing Team

FIM Asia and Two Wheels Motor Racing Sdn Bhd have jointly released the provisional 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship calendar. Following the transformative year that is 2019, there will be minimal changes to the calendar for the next season. The Asian series will kick off with the seasonHopener at the Sepang International Circuit, followed by five days of solid racing at The Bend Motorsports Park in May. As had been previously announced, the Australian weekend will feature a tripleHheader with the ARRC racing alongside the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) and the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup. Suzuka Circuit will host the third leg of the series in June before the Zhuhai International Circuit takes over for Round 4. The series will then head back to the South East Asian region, with Round 5 to be held at the Chang International Circuit in August, followed by Round 6 in Sepang and the finale again in Buriram at the end of the year. The provisional 2020 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is as follows: Official Test Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia March 2 – 4, 2020 Round 1 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia March 6 – 8, 2020 Round 2 The Bend Motorsport Park, Australia May 7 – 10, 2020 Round 3 Suzuka Circuit, Japan June 26 – 28, 2020 Round 4 Zhuhai International Circuit, China July 24 – 26, 2020 Round 5 Chang International Circuit, Thailand August 21 – 23, 2020 Round 6 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia September 25 – 27, 2020 Round 7 Chang International Circuit, Thailand November 27 – 29, 2020